By Thabo Molelekwa for Oxpeckers
Johannesburg is turning to solar power and battery storage to address one of the city’s most persistent electricity challenges: how to provide safe, reliable and legal electricity to informal settlements where conventional grid connections are not viable.
City Power, the power utility wholly owned by the Johannesburg municipality, is investing R517.8-million in solar microgrids across five Johannesburg informal settlements, saying the systems can provide safer, legal electricity where conventional grid connections are difficult.
The alternative electrification programme currently covers five settlements: Amarasta and Vukani in Alexandra, Shalazile in Denver, The View in Booysens and Vlakfontein in southern Johannesburg. The projects have combined approved budgets of R517.8-million.
Two projects, Amarasta and Shalazile, are complete and operational. Vlakfontein and Vukani are under construction, while The View is partially complete.
Isaac Mangena, City Power’s general manager for public relations and communication, told #PowerTracker that Johannesburg has more than 300 informal settlements and that illegal connections, electricity theft, meter tampering and unmetered consumption contribute significantly to its electricity losses. City Power’s non-technical losses are estimated at approximately R4.5-billion, he added.
“Providing households with legal electricity connections and meters could help reduce illegal connections and improve safety, reliability and revenue collection,” Mangena said.
The microgrids are not intended as a replacement for conventional electricity infrastructure, he explained. The technology is selected where conventional grid electrification is constrained by factors such as limited bulk infrastructure, land availability, safety considerations and technical feasibility.
#PowerTracker visited Amarasta and Shalazile in mid-August 2026, as part of a Just Energy Transition Learning Exchange with high-ranking Senegalese delegates hosted by the New Economy Hub, an independent initiative driving a just, climate-resilient and inclusive economic transition.
Amarasta in Alexandra was the starting point for Johannesburg’s microgrid programme. City Power developed the project as an alternative because conventional grid electrification was not immediately feasible. The pilot was installed during the 2023/4 financial year, with lessons from Amarasta informing the subsequent projects in other informal settlements.
Shalazile in Denver was established after the 2023 Usindiso Building fire in Johannesburg, which killed 77 people and displaced hundreds of residents. The displaced residents were relocated to the Shalazile site.
According to Mangena, households connected to the solar microgrids still pay electricity tariffs. Qualifying vulnerable and indigent households can receive support through the City’s Expanded Social Package, which provides assistance with municipal services, while the Free Basic Electricity programme provides qualifying households with a basic allocation of electricity.
The electrification programme began with funding through the Gauteng government’s Energy Emergency Response Plan. After the Amarasta pilot, the City of Johannesburg’s Human Settlements Department became involved in identifying and prioritising settlements requiring electricity services.
“City Power provided technical support, planning and implementation, while Human Settlements drove the timelines,” Mangena said.
The city originally planned to roll out the programme to 21 informal settlements during the 2024/5 and 2025/6 financial years. Mangena said the budget was later transferred to Human Settlements and future projects would depend on budget availability, procurement processes and the department’s timelines.
Pictured above: Shalazile informal settlement in Denver is one of five Johannesburg settlements where City Power is using solar microgrids to provide legal electricity where conventional grid connections are difficult.
Image source: Dokta Moyo
